Personal communication terminals (PCTs), sometimes referred to as personal digital assistants (PDAs), combine a small, hand-held computer with a cellular telephone. A personal communications terminal can be used to run applications, retrieve and read e-mail, and browse the internet. Also, the PCT can be used as a standard cellular telephone for communication in a cellular network. Such devices often have infrared communications capability to allow the device to be connected to other computers and printers for transferring files or data between the devices. One drawback to infrared communications is that it requires direct line of sight between the connected devices. This requirement greatly limits the ability to connect to computers that are connected to an existing local area network (LAN) since all obstructions in the direct line of sight between the connected devices must be removed.
It is also known to use a low-power short-range radio transceiver to provide an RF link with an existing computer or LAN. An RF link does not require direct line of sight between the connected devices and is, therefore, more flexible than an infrared link. Such wireless networks are often used for home networks where computers reside in different rooms. One problem with adopting wireless network technology for use in a cellular phone is that two separate antennas are required because the short-range transceiver used for communications with another computer operates in a different frequency band than the cellular phone transceiver. There is also a problem with interference since both transceivers may be active at the same time. Therefore, it is necessary to separate the antennas to avoid interference. This presents a problem in small, hand-held devices, such as PCTs.